Texas renting culture privileges landlords while offering few protections for renters. In Austin, tenants outnumber homeowners, and this means lots of folks are affected by and have the potential to change the renter-landlord power dynamic. Here are 4 reasons why renters should form tenants associations to achieve healthier and more dignified housing!

1.

Build community

Community is the most powerful tool to enact change. Tenants associations bring neighbors together and build community based on trust and support so that neighbors can use each others skills, resources, and knowledge to express collective concerns and take action.

Build power

2.

Rising rents and dwindling affordable housing enables landlords to think they can get away with providing substandard housing. Tenants associations can leverage renters’ collective power to demand important and necessary changes to their homes. so they all have healthy, safe, and affordable housing.

3.

Get support- and results!

Landlords might get away with providing substandard housing to an entire property, but it’s not likely they can evict every tenant - their power knows an end. Tenants Associations can offer protection from individual retaliation by representing the tenant body as a whole and organize renter concerns, issues, and knowledge into targeted campaigns that demand change from their landlords. Often, tenants associations can achieve results for tenants that might not be possible through litigation.

4.

Grow the movement

We’ve worked with tenants associations across Austin who have recognized the power and change they are capable of achieving through organizing. With each new member, Tenants Associations grow stronger and can better advocate for the folks they represent. Renters account for 55% of Austin households- imagine if every apartment complex organized!

BONUS:

Hang with ¡BASTA!

We are a non-profit project dedicated to supporting Austin renters who want to work with their neighbors to overcome their housing issues, so we have experience with and resources for developing and supporting tenants associations, including trainings, educational materials, and legal support for groups. Additionally, we can point you in the right direction if your housing need is outside of our organizations scope.